


Ciphers and Jazz

by STH_SHTH12



Series: Gravity Falls 1920's AU [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Gravity Falls, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:49:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4955692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STH_SHTH12/pseuds/STH_SHTH12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s the highest time of The Roaring 20’s, The Prohibition Act was enacted several months ago. After setting out on their own, Stanley and Stanford Pines meet their match after fleeing from their past. In the city of New York, the Pines twins meet their destinies, but at what cost?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hair Tonic

The year was 1922, the expansion of liquor was forbidden, the parties themselves were hidden, and everyone rose into economic growth. Below on the gravel pavement screeched two pairs of tires as they slid down the road. Sirens blared behind the model car, turning into a mass chase of cat and mouse.   
“Hang on Sixer, we’ll be out of this in a synch!” Yelled a toned young man, somewhere in his late 20’s, wearing long black pants, a poorly buttoned up shirt and rolled up sleeves. Known mostly as Stanley Pines. He quickly turned the wheel to the side, making the car swerve to the far right off the road. His twin brother, Stanford Pines, was holding onto the edge of his seat on both sides of himself for dear life.   
“Yeah, by getting us both killed!” Ford screamed back, his brows narrowing in purified anger. The car began to rock back and forth, jumping and leaping down into the deep edges of an off-road trail. The sounds of sirens began to fade as they drove further away. As soon as they were in the clear, they both sighed heavily in relief in unison. Ford sat up, straightening his back and fixing his glasses to their original position on his nose. his six-fingered hand drifted down his cheek slowly, pulling on his skin in a stressed manner. Stanley on the other hand, just drove the car straight onto the nearest road, unaware of where they were. His callused fingers tapped on the steering wheel.  
“Well, at least we still have the leftover tonic in the back seat!” Stanley grinned, peeking into the backseat checking on the little bottles of hair tonic that were stuffed into a large bag.  
“Stanley is that really all that matters to you right now? We almost got arrested because of your crazy ideas!” Stanford pointed out.   
“It may have been crazy, but we’re ok right? Don’t worry Pointdexter, everything’s gonna be jake.” Stanley replied, lightening the mood slightly. Ford just sighed, running his fingers through his bed-ridden brown hair, pulling it back and letting it settle to its original fluffy state. He was too tired to continue the argument. The first thought that came to mind was when Stanley had rushed through the door in a state of panic, asking him to take anything and everything to stuff in the car. Ford leaned on the car door and slowly drifted off to sleep. Stanley glanced over at him and continued to drive down the road, thinking.

 

The sound of horns honking and city trumpets blasted into Ford’s ears as he felt the sun on his face. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in his seat, Stanley was nowhere to be seen. Ford then rushed out of the car looking around. He found himself in a two building alleyway, shadowed by the towers of brick and steel. The honking of cars, the people’s gossip nature, the sounds of trumpets and saxophones filled his ears, only to be interrupted by Stanley running up to him with little tins.  
“Mornin’ sunshine! Glad to see you up, we got a big say ahead of us! Reelin’ in suckers, getting a good meal for once, this’ll be great!” Stanley beamed, a wide grin crossing over his face. He handed Ford a little tin cup filled with warm coffee and a small biscuit. Ford just gave him a look of pure confusion by the sudden change in environment, but still took in a good sip of coffee before making a statement.  
“Lee, where exactly are we? This place doesn’t seem like any other Oklahoma county i’ve ever seen.” Ford observed, taking a bite of the stale breakfast biscuit.   
“New York. Oklahoma is just another city we have to leave behind. Today’s a new day Sixer, and i’ve got a good feeling about it!” Stanley grinned wider, finishing his coffee and buttoning up his vest. From his worn down white rags he’d managed a tight fitting maroon vest, matching pants, a bow tie, and slicked his dark brown hair back with grease. Stan then tossed Ford a new batch of clothing, he was going to question where his brother got all this new stuff, but decided to let it go and went to the back of the alley to change. 

“Step right up ladies and gents! It’s the PineCo Magic Hair Tonic!” Stan shouted happily, showing off a small bottle with a PineCo label taped over it. Crowds of people huddled the streets, some giving curious stares, others just passed by without even a glance.  
“You there sir!” Stan yelled, pointing at a much older man, his entire head completely bald, “How would you like to try our famous hair tonic? It’ll grow your entire head of hair back within days of use!” The man himself gave a suspicious look but walked on over, his curiosity being played like a violin. “I mean look at my brother, used to be just like you until he made his greatest invention there is, and now an entire full head of hair!” Lee beamed, tugging Ford under his arm ruffling his brunette brown hair chuckling. Ford smiled slightly as more people crowded around them like a freaky circus act. Money started flying out of pockets, practically being pushed into Stan’s hands. Across the street the clacking of heels could be heard that ringed in Lee’s ears. His eyes fell to a woman dressed in gold. A small brimmed hat shaded her eyes from the sun, her face hidden in shadow. Stan rushed over towards her, avoiding oncoming traffic like a game of Leapfrog.  
“Excuse me! Miss?” He pleaded, she then stopped in her tracks and turned facing him, her face still hidden in the dark shadow of her hat, “How would you like a bottle of my brother and I’s famous hair tonic? I’m sure it’ll beautify those lovely locks of yours.” Stan grinned a cheshire cat smirk.   
“Do you say that to all your female customers or am I just lucky?” She replied, her voice gentle, having a slight southern accent. Under her hat her eyes drifted onto him looking him from all the way to the top of his head to the soles of his shoes. Unaware to Stan, her brows narrowed more in suspicion. “How much for a bottle?”  
“Why just for you, $5 miss.” Stan grinned, his mind going bonkers for catching another sucker. At least that’s what he thinks. Ford looked over at them with a concerned look but also amusement. Stanley was the biggest womanizer in the family. Ford was just waiting for a slap to go across his cheek. In a moment, Stan had walked back next to his brother as the woman started walking off with two small bottles of the tonic. Almost in slow motion, she glanced back at them. Ford blinked as he saw her smile, her dazzling sapphire blue eyes falling onto him and drifted back to the path she was traveling. She walked off and disappeared into the crowd.

As the sun fell, casting a deep sunset over the city, Stan and Ford found themselves in a small hotel room on the twenty-first floor. The room wasn’t too shabby, but it was better than a car seat.  
“See what I tell ya Ford, everything worked out!” Stanley beamed again, counting every dollar they earned, splitting it in half between the two of them. Stan had taken off his vest and bow-tie, some of his buttons were undone. Trickles of sweat dripped from his brow from the intense heat.  
“You really think this is going to work? I mean it’s great how much we made today, but who knows how long this’ll last.” Ford stated, shuffling his wad of cash then placing it in his pocket.  
“Look it’ll be ok, it’s like I said earlier, everything’s gonna be jake.” Stan gave a warm smile, standing and stretching. He then plops onto his bed across from Ford’s, sighing in exhaustion and relaxing easily, “At least it’s better than being on the road all the time. Who knows, maybe this could be our lucky break.”  
“I suppose you’re right, for once at least.” Ford sighed, falling onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind began to drift back to the sale from earlier today, to the woman with those deep blue eyes. Would they see her again? Or would everything just disappear all over again?


	2. Old Friends, New Business

The unsettling heat of the rising sun blazed heavily as a young lady walked up to a small cottage outside the city. The cottage itself was torn and holding together with loose boards and nails. The cicadas sang loudly as they stuck to the trunks of apple trees. The lingering smell of dirt and sweat lifted into her nose, stinging with it’s stench. The lady dressed in gold looked around, her eyes falling onto a small boy.  
“Excuse me, Tate, where’s your father?” She asked him, the boy looked up from plowing the field nearby, he was small and skinny but with the nose the size of a baby squash. He called out to his dad as he ran inside, leaving the woman to stand at the porch. Within the next moment, a skinny mature man stepped out from inside the house, his glasses tinted with dirt, his face was long with an Adam’s apple on his throat.   
“Eliza? I wasn’t expectin’ ya for another month. What’s the trouble?” He rubbed a damp cloth against his brow, his undershirt was covered in black grease, the straps of his overalls were laying against his side.   
“I’m sorry Doc, but it’s urgent.” She presented, holding a small clump of her hair in her hand, her face filled with concern. Both of the doctor’s brows raised and he sighed and shook his head.  
“You too huh? C’mon I got just the thing..” He lead her into the little house, taking her into a small room in the back. The room was tiny, but as much as you’d think. It was big enough to fit five people at most, it had a small area full of medical equipment, a set of two chairs, and a table on the far right under a sunlit window. He pulled on his white lab coat along with fixing his oval glasses on his nose. As he turned to reach into a small cabinet filled with bottles, Eliza sat in the stool that was placed across from him, placing her hands on her lap. “Ah, here we are, just scrub this in and your hair should stop falling out within the hour. Sadly, you weren’t the first customer.”   
“When I get my hands on those fakeloo artists I swear I’m gonna-“ She tensed, freezing in the middle of her sentence seeing Tate in the hallway and sighed, calming her nerves. “Sorry..”  
“Trust me we’re all marks in their games darlin’. Also, don’t worry about payment.” He added, swinging in his chair to pick up a small black pocketbook, turning to a certain page.  
“No, Fiddleford I can’t do that to you, I still owe you from my last checkup. I’ll have it to ya within the month. There’s just so much I owe, oh everything’s going to shit these days.” Eliza’s hand drifted up, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.  
“You and me both,” Fiddleford replied solemnly. Since he became a farmer, he’d been falling onto hard times to keep food on the table. The economy rose greatly, but only for certain people in certain markets of business. With farming these days you could barely even make a dollar. Eliza glanced away avoiding his gaze, then her face brightened slightly.  
“You still comin’ to the Triple Diamond tonight?”  
“No, not tonight, I still got a brew to keep watch of..” He responded as he stood from his chair.  
“Brew? You mean that awful Moonshine that that no-good Gleeful’s got you cooking up?” She asked, her voice raising slightly. Fiddleford had been making Moonshine since the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, all under the careful watch of his employer, Bud Gleeful. “Doc, you know this aint gonna do you no good in the end…”  
“Says the gal who works for his son.” She froze and bit her lower lip in defeat.   
“P-point taken..” They both fell in silence as Eliza pulls out her cigarette holder, her hands shaking slightly, “At least stop by to see the band, they miss their ol’ banjo player.” She continued as she starts walking out of his office, lighting her cigarette, blowing a small puff of smoke.   
“Ain’t gonna make any promises, but i’ll see if I can. You best be getting along now, i’m sure Gleeful will burst a pipe to know his prized singer’s gone missing.” She smirked back at his remark and walked out of the little house, her heels clacking against the wooden floorboards. She turned, her dark sapphire eyes meeting his.  
“I’ll see you around then Doc, best wishes.” 

—————————————————————————————————————————————

 

With his six fingers tapping against the wooden desk, Ford fell into a slump when trying to create a whole new set of tonics. Stanley was pacing back and forth, left and right, his hand clasped under his chin. “All we gotta do is lay low, after things quiet down then we’ll be free as birds.” Stan stated, lightening the atmosphere slightly. Ford sighed heavily in dismay.  
“How long do you think we can keep this up? At this rate the coppers ought to be right on our backs within the next fortnight.”  
“Ford, please i’ve got everything under control.”  
“That’s the exact same thing you said back in Oklahoma..” They both fell silent again until three hard knocks banged against their door. Both brothers sprang in horror. Ford moved protectively in front of his chemical concoctions while Stan moved slightly to grab a small pea-shooter of a gun. The gun itself only had three bullets left, only to be used in the most urgent of situations. The twins looked between each other and started pushing each other towards the door, struggling to who would answer it. Stan was pushed the furthest, facing the wooden door and cleared his throat. He reached to open the door to see an unfamiliar face.  
“Why hello there gentlemen, please forgive me for the sudden intrusion, but I do believe we’ve got some..business to talk about.” A little man with a large heap of white hair, dressed in a formal light blue suit greeted them pleasantly. He had a thick southern accent and an uncertain amount of adorableness to balance it out. Stan hesitated to let him in, but moved aside, watching as the little man shuffled into the room.   
“A little birdy told me ya’ll had quite the sale this week, it intrigued me enough to come to find you,” He began as he brushed a small chair in the corner and sat down in it’s rotten cushions, “Oh where are my manner’s, my name’s Lil’ Gideon.” Both Stans looked between each other both confused and intrigued. This could either be their greatest ally or their worst mistake to ever had opened that door. Ford raised a suspicious brow, Stan’s narrowed in disgust of the little “kid”.   
“Now I know what ya’ll are thinkin’, ‘why you two’? Well I myself am a man of business and i’m here to form a proposal,” Gideon began, his hands moving close together, tapping his fingers against each other, “From what I understand is that ya’ll caused up a mighty uproar with your customers, also known as my ‘clients’, and that just won’t do oh no no no.” Gideon shook his head clicking his tongue in disappointment and climbed off the chair and moved to facing them directly, folding his hands together as he continued. “Now because of your little tonic, ya’ll are probably swimming in debt, seeing as that young folk want to tear you two to shreds for their money back. So here’s what I propose…” Gideon paused, shuffling across the floor, waiting for the brothers’ reactions. Stan and Ford stood there unsure. Stan nodded his head for Gideon to continue.  
“We’re listening…”Stan prodded, crossing his arms across his chest.  
“I propose that come work for me at my little establishment The Triple Diamond, there i’ll pay you both in large amounts of dollars, with that ya’ll can cover up your debt and I can get a little more employment. Whad’ya say?” Again, both Stans looked between each other. Ford gave Stan a look of concern, but determined for a better chance than what they had. Stan thought for a moment. Was there a catch? How could this come up completely out of nowhere? And how exactly did this little scamp find them? Questions filled Stan’s mind, but he was just as determined as his brother. Stan’s hand reached out and shook Gideon’s tiny one.  
“It’s a deal, but on one condition. If you intend any harm against us i’ll make sure to have a bullet in your tiny skull.”   
“Oh why wittle ol’ me would never do such a thing to my employees.” He giggled, bashing his girlish lashes. He then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out two small golden pins. The pin itself had three yellow diamonds, glistening with a golden plate against the back, along with a little pinch-like clasp. The diamonds themselves were put together to form three-pointed flower.   
“Wear these to get in, go to the small bakery near 31st Street and knock on the back of the pantry wall.” With that being said, Gideon waddled to their hotel door, jumping to open it and then stopped in his tracks before leaving. “Oh and one more thing. Come in a suit, there’s no need for rags in this world.”


	3. Welcome to The Triple Diamond Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this song here for some inspiration of the song used in this chapter!!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUFcRPQDcQ4&index=5&list=PL2uHEMzumrnJx3-1GFIXkj-cxAchGjUvW !!

With a click of a lock and a creek of the door, a small stairwell leads into an underground tunnel. The brothers stood next to each other in bewilderment.  
“You still think this is a good idea Stan?” Ford questioned, speaking through his teeth. Ford was dressed in black pants and a white shirt, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had a small bow tie that matched the color of his buttoned up vest. Stan was dressed similarly, the only difference was that he had a tux-like jacket. Stan gave Ford a glare and continued down the steps into the tunnel. Ford sighed as he followed right behind him, making sure to close the wall’s door closed behind him. The tunnel was lined with limestone, dirt and was big enough to fit an entire parade of people. At the end of the road stood two tall doors with a design of three diamonds engraved in gold. A tall man stood there stiff as a board wearing a full on black tuxedo, having the same pin that Gideon had given the brothers. Both Stan and Ford lifted the collars of their shirts showing their pins as they glistened in the dim light. As the gentlemen was about to question them, a sudden burst of the door opening slammed against his face, revealing Lil’ Gideon.  
“Why hello again gentlemen, welcome to The Triple Diamond Club!” Gideon greeted, his arms open. Gideon was dressed in a white and light blue suit, his hair slicked back but had his signature poof to it. Gideon opened the door wider to let them in, as they did so their eyes widened in awe. The club was built into the walls of the cave, a large stage is built onto the far right with lights that had lotus shaped shades. The bar was filled to the brim with bootlegged alcohol of all kinds, lining with bottles and taps. Hundreds of tables set with the finest silverware filled the entire room, a balcony was built all around the edges of the cave, also having a couple of tables. The cave itself was lit with dim lights that had a warm glow illuminating from them. The band had their instruments with them on the stage, all the men had fell into a deep slumber, hoping to rest before the night continues.  
“Now Stanley you’ll be with my father most of the time so don’t get too comfortable, Stanford you’ll be working with one of our well known brewers, he’ll show up a little later tonight to make a delivery. Tonight just enjoy yourselves and relax.” Gideon mentioned as he walked them through the tavern towards the stage. He glanced at his watch and a scowl grew on his face. He mumbled under his breath.  
“Oh, futz now where is Eliza? She should be rehearsing,” He mumbled, then glanced at the confused brothers and cleared his throat, “Eliza’s one of our lovely entertainers here, she’s probably in her dressin’ room..” He continued as they walk towards a small hallway that lead to a small wooden door. Gideon gave a small knock before entering. Giggles erupted from behind a large couch, two women, their backs to the boys were speaking in gossip. One had a little bit of an accent the other speaker more properly. One of their arms waved over the side of the couch.  
“Is that you sweet pea?” She asked, her voice low and sultry, the woman sounding around the same age as Stan and Ford. She shifted herself to where her dazzling blue eyes met theirs. She leaned on her arm as it settled across the brim of the couch, strands of her long, wavy brunette hair fell over her face. Ford’s eyes widened slightly, blinking to soak in her face. She was the same woman who Stan had tried to flirt with a few days earlier.  
“You again..” He mumbled to himself, he could feel his entire body freeze and stiffen. Stan looked between the two and started to connect the dots, a smirk growing on his face.  
“Shouldn’t you be rehearsing? The crowd’ll start showing up within the hour!” Gideon pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, tapping his foot in disapproval. Eliza just giggles in reply and gets off the couch to stand before them, wearing an emerald and gold silk dress. It didn’t show off a lot of her assets, but it succeeded in framing it well against her slim body.  
“Gideon, there’s no need to fret, we’ll be all set in less than the time provided. Me and Carla here were just havin’ a little chat beforehand.” The other woman in question turned in her seat, her hair was pulled back with a white flower that was tinted with violet, wearing a small violet dress to match. A large coat with fur-trimmed edges covered up the majority of her body. Eliza mentioned her name was Carla McCorkle, a well known dancer and gossip journalist for the New York Times. Stan caught her eye in an instant giving her a small wink making her giggle. Gideon cleared his throat again to gain back their attention.  
‘Now that we’ve all gotten to know each other, I suggest we move to the main area, we don’t want guests waiting.” He shuffled out the door and his frown turned instantly into a happy little grin, almost creepily. Stan held out his arm towards Carla and she took it with no hesitation as they walked out together. Ford was next to follow until he was stopped by Eliza calling him.  
“You can’t go out like that.” She stated, crossing her arms.  
“And why not?” He questioned, raising a brow.  
“Your tie is undone, you’re shirt’s not tucked in, and you hair looks like you just walked out from being under the influence for more than a couple of days.” Eliza smirked, giving him a knowing look as she stepped foreword to re-tie his bow. Ford’s face blushed a violent red, keeping his eyes away from hers. His breathing was steady but his heart was pounding against his chest like a drum ready to burst out completely. He had never been this close with a woman before which would explain his stammering. As she finished tying the bow, she looked up at him raising a brow. He glanced down at her for a split second but couldn’t help but look back again for another time. Her face was fully visible now as her hair was pushed back behind her ears. Her eyes being the only thing that stood out the most. A small smile grew across her lips.  
“See? Much better.” Eliza said smiling, she shifted herself to move around him and walked past him. Her hips swayed side to side as she walked, disappearing into the main area. Ford blinked out of his stiff-like state as the music began. 

As the crowds came rolling in, the cheap liquor began selling quicker, emptying the bar’s shelves. Music blared loudly as it echoed, bouncing off the walls. Trumpets, clarinets, drums, and trombones played wonderfully in their jazzy tune as dancers filled the stage. Dressed in feathers and beaded tassels, they performed with every effort of their bodies as they trotted across the wooden floor. Eliza was found to be smack in the middle of dozens of others, singing the main lead.

Everybody loves my baby  
But my baby don't love nobody but me, nobody but me  
Oh, everybody wants my baby  
But my baby don't want nobody but me, that's plain to see

Yes, she got a form like Venus  
Honest, I ain't talking Greek  
No one can come between us  
She's my Sheba, I am her Sheik  
Yes, everybody loves my baby  
But my baby, nobody but me, yeah, nobody but me

As the tune carried on to the crowd, couples grouped together to dance. Everyone was either drunk already or about to be, but no one minded. People were there to escape the watchful eyes of the law, enjoying a drink. People from all walks of life began to fill the room. From the wealthiest of business owners down to the smallest of bakery owners and carpet cleaners, everyone was dressed in their best. Laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking, nothing could ruin a good night. Stan and Ford had found themselves a nice spot on the left side of the stage towards the back, having a perfectly good view of the entrance and the people entering. Bud Gleeful walks up to them with two beers in both of his hands.  
“Such a lovely set of pipes, that one, our employer found her on the side of the road poor thing.” Bud issued as he sat down next to Stan, a waiter coming right up behind him pushing in his seat, “Now Stan about our proposal..” Gleeful began, both he and Stan engaged in a conversation of business that Ford tried to not eavesdrop into. Ford took aside his beer but dared not to drink it, his fingers tapped the condescended sides, the water melting onto his callused hand. His eyes glanced around the bar, watching the people laughing and engaging in conversation. Just then Fiddleford walked in with two large caskets of transparent liquid in bottles at his sides. His glasses were round and small, His body skinny and had a bad posture, but was dressed well enough to fit into the crowd. He started walking towards the bar, handing the caskets to the tender, giving a small sigh of relief. Bud saw Fidds in the corner of his eye and waved him to come over to them. Fiddleford straightened his bow tie and started walking over, avoiding couples and the occasional crowd.  
“Stanford this is Fiddleford H. McGucket, he’ll be your new coworker in the brewery business.” Bud introduced. Fiddleford and Ford exchanged handshakes before taking their seats, “This bright gentlemen here provides our famous Moonshine, best in the state.”  
“Moonshine? Isn’t that illegal?” Ford asked, hesitant to his new line of work.  
“Y-Yes, but it provides for my family’s well being.” Fiddleford replied, straightening his glasses on his long nose. His thick southern accent coming through his speech. Bud gave him a small glare, practically a full on scowl, making Fiddleford shy away in his seat. Stan wasn’t paying attention to the growing tension, mostly because Carla had caught it instead. As soon as the dancing performance ended, Eliza had disappeared from the stage and walked down towards their table, giving Fiddleford a hug from behind.  
“I’m so glad you stopped by, and here I thought you were going to miss out on the fun!” She beamed, blowing her feathered headband out of her face. Fiddleford gave a light chuckle and patted her hand. She released him from her grasp and walked off patting Bud’s shoulder as she disappears into the crowd. Ford watched after her before putting his attention back to the talk of business.  
As the evening came to a close and people were walking on home, Ford found himself waiting by the door as Stan and Bud had gone up into a private room in the balcony. He sighed as he pulled out a small red book from his pants pocket, writing down the day’s events. His fingers gripped the pen tighter in his hand and started drawing long lines of an outline of an eye. He looked up as he saw Gideon walk into Eliza’s changing room and raised a brow. Eliza soon emerged along with Gideon at her side. She pulled on a small fur coat that covered her shoulders and turned to Gideon, a frown building on her face. Gideon gave a scowl and walked on off past Ford and out into the city. Eliza turned seeing Ford and proceeded to avoid his confused gaze. She walked out a separate doorway slamming the door behind her. Ford moved to follow her but was caught by a grab of his shoulder.  
“C’mon Sixer, lets get going we got a job tomorrow…” Stan sighed his hair ruffled in exhaustion, the stench of alcohol in his breath. It seemed the “talk” didn’t go too well with Bud. As the moonlight gazed down upon their wandering bodies, Ford walked next to Stanley until he heard a familiar voice. His head turned to see Eliza smiling with an unknown man, batting her lashes cutely. In an instant he took her by the arm as they ran off disappearing into darkness. Ford could’ve sworn he saw markings along her back, but dismissed it and continued to walk back to the hotel, wondering and fading into concern for their new job description.


	4. Chapter 4: Debt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAYYYY Here's my Christmas gift to you guys! I'm so sorry for the chapter being so late, I hit a really big writing block as well as dealing with family and school. But here it is! Chapter 4 of Ciphers and Jazz!!

The summer heat blared over the atmosphere as sweat dripped down Ford’s forehead. Bud Gleeful had sent him out to have a good talk with Fiddleford, ‘to get to know how things worked around here’ he remembered. Stanford approached the little shack peering into the windows to see for any sight of lifeforms, but there wasn’t a figure anywhere to be seen. All of a sudden he heard a clattering and a screech of muttered curses coming from behind the back porch, Stanford immediately went into action running towards the noise while calling out for Fidds. Fiddleford was coughing waving a cloud of smoke away from an old rundown moonshine still, it seemed the mashed up corn meal had been stirred at the wrong temperature, causing it to rupture. “Ah, Stanford is it? ‘Scuse the smoke, it’s an easy fix.” Fiddleford waved off, chuckling softly. His circular glasses were covered in grounded dust, his face and clothing had smudges of grease and dried corn mash. Stanford was taken aback a little, the still kit itself was right out in the open, the high tempered smoke could be clearly seen, he was pretty sure this is much more illegal than the time he and Stan had practically robbed a lady of her winning derby tickets. Well, it was Stan’s idea in the first place.   
“Bud sent for me, he proposed we could work together on the alcohol.” Ford mentioned starting to help Fidds with the mill, turning down the temperature. HIs statement made Fiddleford freeze, his eyes widening slightly. He stood up shaking his head, “Nope, no, absolutely not. It’s bad enough Bud is already on my back about the bootlegging an-and the deliveries, and now I have to look after you like a lost sheep in a flock?” Fiddleford fumbled with his hands cleaning the grease with a dirty cloth. The situation itself couldn’t get any worse, the growing stocks and bonds seemed too good to be true, and what good was it to him and Tate? It all just added onto his already growing debt.  
“Fiddleford please, i’m just doing what the job-whatever it is-is offering me…If there’s anything I can help with, I want to.” Ford responds generously. Stanford’s job was never specified completely, but he knows damn sure it can’t be any good in terms with the law. Bud and Gideon had power beyond him, the question was, how did they get all of it? Fiddleford narrowed his brows, sweat droplets fell over his temple. He glances away from Ford thinking it over, this could be his chance to get something out of this tiring business, and maybe out of the city completely. “Fine, i’ll git you started with the deliveries, but you have to understand this is going to end badly for you and your brother, you have no idea what these men are capable of..” Fiddleford warns, holding the greased cloth in his hand that’s pointing a finger to Ford. He sighs and gestures to the young scientist to follow him, behind the still was a large pile of boxes filled to the brim with distilled liquor. “All of this here liquor is distilled and labeled, I suggest you get ‘em delivered before the hour strikes for customers to start swingin’ by.” He suggests, handing Ford several boxes to load into the car he drove in on the way to the shack. Ford agrees, nodding and carrying each box to the car, hiding the bottles under an old tarp. Hopefully this’ll turn out better than the other jobs the two brothers have had, maybe avoiding jail all together.   
“How did you get into bootlegging? If you don’t mind me asking..” Stanford asks, getting into the car, shutting the driver’s door. Fiddleford climbed into the passenger’s seat and starts lighting a cigarette taking a long drag.   
“Money reasons, farmers aren’t getting the greatest treatment thanks to the economy and stocks…I’ve been providing produce since the first world war, after that when everyone got home, things just started going downhill from there…” Fidds replies, taking another long drag of smoke, tapping the cigarette to get rid of the excess ash. Stanford glances over frowning slightly, the only good thing the war did was bring peace to the europeans for the time being and the military advances. Ford may not have been a farmer, hell he was more of a traveler to put it into lighter terms, but he could understand the hardships. Stan has had a past of getting them into tight situations, all in which Ford had to get them out of. They always had to find ways to get a decent meal, finding leftover gas money, and everything in between. However, even in the darkest of times, and even though Stan was the youngest of the two by six minutes, he was always the big brother, taking care of Ford and looking out for him.   
“I see..I’m sorry about that..” Ford replies sincerely glancing over between Fidds and the rubble road. Fiddleford just flashes him a look and sighs looking out the passenger window, watching as the farmland starts turning into industrial ashes and tall buildings.   
The sun began setting over the Long Island horizon, lights from downtown buildings started glowing like glistening stars in the dim night sky. Stan on the other hand walks out of a small red brick building, taking off his black cloth gloves, sighing. The gun he had in his holster was now empty of his shells, blood had covered his leather shoes. The problem was, the blood wasn’t his. Bud emerges from the building as well lighting a cigar, his son following right after. “See Stanley? Was that so hard?” Gideon asks, snapping his fingers as one of his henchmen bring him a small cloth to wipe the blood from his widdle cheeks. Stan’s face was as pale as a layer of new white sheets, his hair was slicked back, but several strands had escaped due to stress.  
“Why’d we have to kill him? The man was innocent!” Stan retorts turning to Gideon and Bud with filtering rage, none of this felt right. The man in question was tortured and now dead, all he did was look at Gideon the wrong way and countered his actions in hiding another speakeasy, saying it was too easy to find.  
“Now listen here Pines, that man was nothing but a rat, he would’ve spilt us to the coppers faster than a flapper droppin’ her dress,” Gideon counters, shooting him a nasty glare, “I would know, i’m workin’ with one,” He continues, walking off to his Royce. Stan narrowed his brows getting in after them, still trying to wipe off the blood. As they return to the Triple Diamond Club, he spots Eliza walking in, draping a sash over her shoulders and walking into her dressing room. Stan cocks his head to the side in curiosity and follows silently. As she takes off the sash a small tattoo can be seen on the back of her neck, but her hair drapes over it easily, covering it. She then turns to her vanity pulling out hundreds of bill from her leg stockings and purse and proceeds to hide it in a nearby cabinet below her chair. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you that peeping is an invasion of privacy?” She asks seeing him in the vanity’s mirror.  
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that selling yourself is a call for a bad reputation?” Stan replies crossing his arms over his chest. Eliza just shoots him a glare, her sapphire blue eyes piercing right through him.   
“As if you’re any different, you’re working for a serial mob for extra dollars in order to save your brother.” She retorts standing, grabbing a dress from her closet and walking behind a dressing screen. Stan leans against a nearby dresser, still keeping his arms crossed over his chest. He knows working for Bud won’t give him much, but it’s a good push into the right direction. He promised to look after Ford, even though it should be the other way around.  
“Keep Stanford out of this. He shouldn’t have to be in the same position as me…” Was all Stan could say, avoiding her gaze as the flapper came back out in a golden dress, having hints of emerald green on the flailing fringe.   
“Not yet anyways..” She says stalely, pulling up her garters and walking up to him. “This city and its dwellers, they’ll make you regret coming here in the first place, if you want my advice. Leave. You’ll be in debt quicker than you can blink.” Debt. Debt. Why was he hearing this word so many times? And why is it haunting him?


End file.
